Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines review

GamesMaster discovers that it's a lot of fun being a vampire...

Their diet is unnatural, and those who consume it are shunned by society. If discovered, they're driven out by mobs waving pitchforks. Yes, Monster Munch and Iron Bru-scoffing games journalists are a hideous breed, and should be slaughtered in their sleep.

Vampires though, just as horrible and eighteen times as sexy, get their own videogames. Vampire: The Bloodline Masquerades differs from your average nibble-'em-up. Yes, there's superhuman powers of the undead and blood-drinking, as seen in Bloodrayne. But in this game there's also politics, talking and scheming. This is as much an adventure as it is an action game: think Deus Ex with vampires.

You're given a choice of seven clans of vampires to play as, each with their own specialities. The game's different, therefore, if you play as a hideous Nosferatu, who hides from people in sewers, rather than as a beautiful Toreador, who charm their way to success. As you progress, you gain experience points with which to tweak your character. And you'll need to, given the vivid array of hideous beastliness that waits in the dark.

But if it's so splendid, what's wrong with it? The main problem is that V:TBM is completely ridden with bugs. From minor things (graphic glitches) to mid-range stuff (regular frame-rate problems) to absolutely shocking ones (bugs that stops your progress, crash-bugs), it's infested. This becomes more obvious as the game progresses, and by the end of it you're left with a nasty taste in your mouth. Forget holy water and crosses, what we need here is a big patch, sharpish. But considering its other attractions, you can almost forgive this flaw. Almost.